In this newsletter:

Pet Theft Awareness Week – we’re giving away a locking lead

Being a blood donor – dogs do it too

Malamute Matters Auction

Pet Theft Awareness Week

This is a serious subject and it cannot be overstated how upsetting it is when your dog goes missing. Even a few minutes of uncertainty over where your furry has trotted off to engenders a huge upwelling of panic. A dog that has disappeared and is not found remains as a hole in your being, never to be repaired. At Crufts last year, a woman was talking about to us about her missing husky and it seemed that it had happened in the last few weeks. When asked when her dog had gone, she replied 2 and half years previously. This totally floored us as it was so obviously a very immediate event in her mind.

Add to that the horror stories of what stolen dogs are used for – as bait dogs for fighting and similarly horrific activities. That is why Dog Theft Awareness Week is such a good idea. The purpose is to provide information on prevention and to increase awareness of what resources are available to you if the worst should happen. Take a look at this website to find out more http://www.pettheft.co.uk/index.php.

To help publicise the week we are giving away a locking lead with an RRP of £59.99. Sometimes it is necessary to leave your furry friend in a public space for a short period, particularly in the summer months when it is dangerous to leave them in the car because of the risk of overheating. The locking lead features are:
- an adjustable, built in collar allowing it to be locked into the dog,
- a locking grip so that the dog may be secured to an immobile object.
- a wire core to the lead portion which no opportunistic thief will be able to cut.

To win the lead, enter our draw by:
*commenting on this blog,
*signing up to receive our newsletter, if you are not already,
*following us on Twitter @GiantDogBeds

Do all three and your name will be entered into the draw three times, so 3x the chance to win.

We are looking to increase our Twitter followers to 110 by the 30th March and need to achieve this before we give the lead away, so let your friends know too. Even if you don’t want the lead yourself, you can give it to a rescue shelter to auction or raffle so it is still worth entering the draw.

Donating Blood – dogs do it too

As in people, dogs undergoing surgery or following a major accident sometimes need a blood transfusion. And, as is the case with people, this can only come from donor dogs. The blood is separated into different components so that it can help several dogs with different needs.

Donors are always in short supply. And to be honest, it’s not something we’d ever thought about before we came across the Animal Care Trust (https://www.facebook.com/rvcact) who posted about Murphy Voyce on their Facebook page. Murphy is a labradoodle who has donated blood six times. We all hate taking our pets to the vet even for routine items, so the thought of actually asking them to donate blood is extremely daunting. But just think of the joy and relief if your dog was in the position of needing blood and it was available. So it is something that needs serious consideration as there is no harm to the donating dog. A full health check is given on each occasion and a full blood panel is provided annually which is a very useful early warning system to health issues arising.

Malamute Matters Auction

The rescue charity malamute matters are holding a massive fund raising auction on the 24th March. We donated a couple of small items to it coupled with vouchers for £25 off one of our beds. Here’s hoping they get a good bid price. There’s plenty of fantastic stuff on offer and of course, it is going to a great cause. MM supports all dogs not just malamutes and works closely with the Saints Sled Dogs Rescue, UK German Shepherd Rescue, Helping Hearts Animal Rescue and SHARE, as well as helping many other rescues, and one off emergency cases. Take a look at their Facebook page to find out how to join the auction.https://www.facebook.com/MalamuteMatters

Tell us what you think – what topics would you like to see covered? Is enough information provided on each topic we’ve looked at or too much? is this most boring blog you’ve ever read – let us know. We really want you to enjoy receiving our newsletter or viewing the Dog Talk blog on line so help us make it better. Give us your views.